Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Bronson, Obayashi, and "Bananas, Bananas, BANANAS!"

This was sent to me by a Bronson-luvin' friend, and I needed to share it immediately. On a review of DEATH WISH 3, which can be found here (my own review of DW3 can be found here), a reader named Jason Pollock commented that he had just seen the film on the big screen with an Alex Winter Q&A afterward, and I quote:

"[Alex Winter] also told us that the dude who played The Giggler [Kirk Taylor] was in awe of Bronson, and wanted to chat with him – but not be a bother. So he saw that Bronson was sitting alone in a room off of the main set one day, and he calmly approached. As The Giggler reached the doorway and quietly said, “Hello, Mr. Bronson…” Bronson spun around on him and growled:

“HOW MANY BANANAS HAVE YOU EATEN TODAY, KID??!! YOU EAT ENOUGH BANANAS AND YOU’LL NEVER GET SICK!! I EAT ‘EM ALL THE TIME!!!”

The Giggler lost the nerve to ever approach Bronson again."

Now I must say that I immediately scarfed down a few bananas in response to this, but I'd also like to propose the following wild theory: Bronson worked with Japanese director Nobuhiko Obayashi on a series of commercials for Mandom cologne. They apparently were friendly, with Bronson nicknaming Obayashi "Ob" and Obayashi even making vague nods to Bronson movies in his absurdist masterpiece HAUSU. Now, HAUSU contains a notable and notorious scene whereupon a man screams "BANANAS, BANANAS, BANANAS!" and therefore transforms into a tremendous pile of bananas. Is this perhaps a nod to to Bronson and his peculiar banana-luvin' ways? Did Bronson perhaps love bananas even more than he loved...chicken? Inquiring minds must know!

From Chuck Bronson to Alex Winter (S. Preston, Esq.) to ‘The Giggler’ to Nobuhiko Obayashi. This is why the internet was invented. This and porn.

Ya’ know, it would seem fitting if there was a connection between Bronson’s banana outburst and Obayashi’s....thingamajig-that-was-sort-of-a-movie. Considering the circumstances, your theory is of sound reason. And therein lies the rub: it makes too much sense. Ask yourself; how much more bizarre would it be if there was no connection, not even the slightest iota? – If Bronson’s banana rant and Obayashi’s featured banana metamorphosis were, in fact, two completely unrelated space-time events?

Bronson's outburst makes me think of that classic scene in WILD AT HEART with Crispin Glover nocturnal habits: "I'M MAKING MY LUNCH!" Very weird indeed. Good Bronson anecdote, though. That just about made my day.

Details of Note

Junta Juleil Productions, LTD. is a Brooklyn-based film and theatre production collective founded by Sean Gill, filmmaker and playwright. Junta Juleil's Culture Shock is a film blog dedicated to forgotten and occasionally cheesy genre fare. For more about Sean Gill, visit:
Sean Gill Films.